Swastikas found spray-painted in Success Village community

Bridgeport police say swastikas were spray-painted at a Bridgeport condo complex this week and they are treating this case as a hate crime.

News 12 Staff

Dec 23, 2022, 3:19 AM

Updated 654 days ago

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Bridgeport police say swastikas were spray-painted at a Bridgeport condo complex this week and they are treating this case as a hate crime.
"I believe that symbol instills hate in all people of color -- Black, brown folks -- which Success Village makes up a big chunk of that," said Ty Bird, who is the Success Village Apartment's president.
Bird says he discovered one swastika on his front door and another on a storage container out front, which was apparently spray-painted there overnight Tuesday.
The head of the property and facilities Charley Pitcher says he reported the hate symbols to police.
"It's very upsetting, especially here in such a tight-knit community," said Pitcher.
Mark Schachter is the head of a company called Investigative Consultants based in Hamden. When he heard about the swastikas at Success Village, he said he was "deeply disgusted" that people still choose to use this symbol as a weapon.
"It's a very powerful symbol - it wields a lot of weight and it's a terrible reminder of how the Jews were persecuted," said Schachter.
Rabbi Greg Wall, of Beit Chaverim Synagogue in Westport, says this case shows how the swastika has risen to be more than a symbol targeting only Jews.
"It's really a universal sign of hate these days," said Wall.
Success Village is mostly home to a community of non-Jewish minorities.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.